Haaretz poll: Netanyahu beats election rivals, right-wing bloc grows stronger
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Yossi Verter - October 11, 2012 - 12:00am

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has no serious challenger in the next election, political experts said after he launched the campaign for the 19th Knesset on Tuesday. A poll carried out for Haaretz on Wednesday appears to confirm this. The poll, conducted by Dialog under the supervision of Professor Camil Fuchs of Tel Aviv University, shows that Netanyahu easily defeats all his possible rivals from the center-left bloc. As far as the public is concerned, Netanyahu is deemed much more suitable for post of prime minister than any of his potential rivals.

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Palestinians foresee no change after Israeli elections
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ynetnews
by Elior Levy - October 11, 2012 - 12:00am

The decision to move up the Knesset elections will affect not only Israel's citizens but the Palestinian Authority as well.  Since Benjamin Netanyahu's early elections announcement Tuesday, Palestinian analysts have been trying to explain the move and its consequences. All reached the same conclusion – nothing will change.

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Netanyahu tries to capitalise on Romney revival
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Vita Bekker - October 11, 2012 - 12:00am

TEL AVIV // The resurgence of Mitt Romney in key US polls in the past few days ahead of next month's US presidential election may also be a boost to the campaign of the Republican candidate's key ally overseas. Benjamin Netanyahu, the conservative Israeli prime minister, said that general elections will take place early next year, about eight months ahead of schedule. The decision comes a year after peace talks stalled with the Palestinians and amid tensions with Iran over Tehran's nuclear programme.

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Aides: Israel's ex-PM Olmert considering comeback
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Associated Press
by Aron Heller - October 10, 2012 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM — Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is considering a political comeback to challenge incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming elections, aides said Wednesday.

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61 seats - mission possible
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Haaretz
by Sefi Rachlevsky - (Opinion) October 10, 2012 - 12:00am

A year ago, in private conversations, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak marked the winter of 2013 as the time for elections - and not because of the budget. The reason was U.S. President Barack Obama. Netanyahu wanted Obama to have as little time as possible to take revenge on him. The thing is, now Republican candidate Mitt Romney might win. To risk losing eight months with him as president - months so decisive for a war with Iran - is a tough gamble for Netanyahu.

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Excuse for no peace process?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jerusalem Post
by Douglas Bloomfield - (Opinion) October 10, 2012 - 12:00am

Whatever you may think of Binyamin Netanyahu, and very few people are neutral on the subject, there is no denying that though often abrasive and irritating, he has put the Iranian nuclear program high on the international agenda. Without his stubborn nudging it is fair to assume the intensity of international pressure on the Islamic Republic would be far weaker than it is today.

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Why has Israel's PM called an early election?
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from BBC News
by Yolande Knell - (Analysis) October 10, 2012 - 12:00am

The announcement of an early Israeli general election by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came just in time for the main evening news bulletin on Tuesday but the public was already prepared. Last week, as Mr Netanyahu met the leaders of his coalition partners, it became clear that he did not have their support for the 2013 budget, which must be passed by the end of this year.

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Netanyahu Planted Seeds for Early Vote at U.N.
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Nathan Jeffay - (Opinion) October 10, 2012 - 12:00am

Tel Aviv — Nobody outside his inner circle knew it yet, but when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations late last month, it was the start of his election campaign. He talked tough on Iran in the September 27 speech, presenting himself to Israelis as a leader who has the confidence to make demands for their security, and the guts to take out a red pen and draw the “red line” he is setting for the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program on a cartoon-style picture of a bomb.

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Israel-Iran War Not on Horizon
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Media Line
by Linda Gradstein - (Opinion) October 9, 2012 - 12:00am

This summer, it seemed that the world believed that an Israeli attack on Iran was imminent – a belief shared in the Jewish state as well. Panicked Israelis rushed to gas mask distribution centers, newspapers published banner headlines speculating on Israeli war plans, and Israel saw a seemingly endless parade of senior American officials trying to convince their counterparts to rethink plans for an attack.

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Netanyahu Calls for Early Elections in Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The New York Times
by Jodi Rudoren - October 9, 2012 - 12:00am

JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Tuesday called for elections early next year instead of as scheduled in October 2013, saying that conversations with his coalition partners had proved it would be impossible to pass “a responsible budget” with deep cuts.

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